One Thing After Another

Well, thankfully I found my the artwork that was misplaced which had my friend Cheryl's inspiration in it! It was in a black bag in Rhett's toy box!

I am in the same location I was last Saturday for Market Days. From now on for the rest of Market Days I will be in this same spot.I took a pic of the word "Broadway" and told Rhett we were "On Broadway" as I sang the title of the song. He didn't get it.

I was next to the organic blueberry folks again and across from a master chef from Cataula who showed up with breads, jams & jellies. He has been all over the world and baking is his passion as art is mine. I have pics of this man's bread to be posted later. He dropped one loaf on the sidewalk, but sold it anyway! He also made change while handling the breads. The breads did not do anything for me at all, but all the women seemed to love it. I thought they looked like big ole odd shaped rocks to me! LOL He did well as did Spencer's berries whereas I sold nothing. It was a bust for me. I always have beginner's luck.

Mom & Daddy came to it before it was over and I got pics of them there so it was a family photo op and I was thankful for this small blessing. There was a lot more people traffic. More stopped, looked and commented. I got lots of good feedback. Of course other can now take my ideas and try to re-create them.

It still amazes me that most of the folks bring their own bags for this. Most of them had Trader Joe bags! LOL If you greet them, they usually say, "I am doing well." It is nice to know there are so many folks out there doing well.

I called my favorite framery which was closing at 2. I asked if I brought something in on Monday, would it be ready before Thursday? As long as it wasn't an odd size & they had it in stock. Then I went to Michael's to frame my art for turn-in on Thursday. I had a 12 by 12 piece which I discovered is not an average size. Luckily the frames were on sale. I saw 3 I really liked.

I took my piece to the counter. There is an older woman working there. I asked if I could get a matt before Thursday. She was very curt. Let me know they sent their matts out to be cut and it would take a week. I told her I needed it before then. She turned and went back in the back totally dismissing me which ticked me off. She'd also made me feel dumb by asking me, "You know what an artist's 3rd is, don't you?" Don't have a clue. Maybe she thinks I am not a real artist.

So I started looking at poster frames because I was going to blow up a fiery sunset I wanted to do last year, but Don & Rhett were against it. A successful Australian photographer told me to do this; to blow it up as large as I could (which I can't afford!). Now I had written down the measurements for an 11x17. I'd do back & forth besides going to the bathroom! LOL I picked up the wrong poster frame. I bought a canvas thinking I could paint what was on my 12x12 before Thursday! I got an elaborate 11x14 gold frame which the canvas fits in perfectly. It as on sale.

I had to go back to the curt lady once I found the gold frame and canvas to see if she could show me how to fix the back of this myself. She was all for me not paying her to do this! LOL This time she was quite helpful.

I went to Kinko's where the young guy was very helpful. I had the sunset blown to a 11x17 on card stock. I realized I should have taken my friend Darryl's advice about talking to another photographer before now. I chose matt not glossy. It was cropped in Adobe photoshop. This cost $23. The guy rolled it up which I didn't like. I went out to the car to get the frame. Someone had placed their stuff ontop my stuff! The clerk apologized for this. The frame was too small so I had to go back to Michael's to exhchange it. The guy at Kinko's had given me a smaller sample of it which I can still frame and hopefully sell.

Then I went to Wolf camera. By now it is almost 7:30 pm. Since none of this was working as I envisioned, I decided to follow my friend Anne's advice. I was having the rainy day shot blown up to an 11x14 to fit the elaborate frame I purchased. As with the firey sunset, the dashboard of my car had to be deleted. Their cropping is different from Picasa much to my frustration. It cut some of the right side out, but it was better than nothing. This would be ready at 1 today. Then I saw it could be mounted on foamboard which I knew I'd need anyway. I paid for that extra because now Don & I were going to learn how to frame art ourselves & save money! With the foamboard, they said it wouldn't be ready til after 3.

I stopped by mom's so I could put the rolled up copy of the fiery sunset in the poster frame. This was a real bugger! I was tired, it wasn't working right. I was almost at the point of tears and cussing. I had to cut the white off the copy in order for it to fit. The pieces of the frame do not exactly match up. When I took it out of the car when I got home, 2 pieces came off so I had to re-do it. Not sure if my guys like it or not. I was too tired to attempt the canvas. Rhett even asked if I could actually paint it since it was originally done with colored pencils. I wasn't sure. He'd given me another idea for it earlier which I may try later. Much, much later.

Instead I went thru my cuttings out of catalogs looking for things for the Springer art project. I know I probably should have went on to bed, but this usually relaxes me. I had a headache, my hip and leg were aching. After I found the pieces I might use, I did take 2 Alleve and went to bed, but I was too tired to drift off when I laid down.

Sunday, the next morning I realized I will need glass for the rainy day photo! So I will have to call an inexpensive glass Monday morning.

So I go back to Wolf to pick up the piece after 3. It was ready. A little voice told me before I left I should have taken the frame. I get back home, it is too big for the frame! Don measured it. It is over 14 inches! I called Wolf before we left for church. They told me I could bring it back and they will re-do it, but to bring the frame. So it has been one set-back after another. If I didn't know better, I would think someone is trying to tell me something. Not funny at all. The good news is I will have more framed art for sale. After all the problems, I think I need to up my price!

I took Thursday afternoon off so I could get the glass cut for my frame, get the backing on & turn it in for the show by 6pm. That morning my key got stuck in the door! I was late to work. I was having a bad awful day as one of the Sesame Street characters had in one of Rhett's kiddie books which was his favorite.

I was able to capture the elusive dragonfly yesterday when I left work! I took my mom to lunch at the food Nazi place where once again I experienced reverse discrimination. And one again, I said never again. I had to go to the bank, pay a bill. Then I got the glass cut which didn't take long at all. The man sort of threw the glass in my frame! Of course if it broke, he would have had to get me another one. A kind older lady helped me put my piece of art in my plastic bag. I knew the glass needed cleaning very badly.

Then I drove to a frame place next to the church my best friend Penny used to attend. The door was locked and there was a sign that said "Please knock". An older man let me inside a home probably as old as my parent's home that had been turned into a framery. I told him I hoped he could help me. I asked him if he could walk me through putting the back of my frame together. When I showed him the fastenings the lady at Michael's told me I needed, he told me they would not work. He said he'd clean my glass for me. Well, he proceeded to clean the glass on top of my photo! I just knew he'd ruin it. He assured me he had been doing this for many years and he was not going to mess it up. So I had to just let go, trust and put my faith in him. He placed it all in the frame without touching the glass again whereas I would have gotten more fingerprints on it. When he mentioned stapling, I thought he meant he'd staple the frame itself which I didn't like. Then he showed me how he stapled it in with his high speed stapler. Next he asked me if I wanted a dust cover. I admitted I didn't know what he meant so he told me to look behind a large frame of an autographed University of Georgia jersey. It was like a brown paper bags glued on to keep dust out of the back. He used industrial strength double stick tape to secure this. I was familiar with this one! LOL If I had put on the wire, I would have put it in the center which would have been wrong. He measured and placed it where it needed to go using his own wire instead of mine. Now I can return the things I didn't use thanks to this nice man. I asked him how much I owed him and the said "$300." Then he told me I owed him nothing. I truly felt like I went to one of the Lord's angels and he blessed me. I told this kind soul I would send all my friends to him and I will go back to him again and again and again. I plan to send him a thank you note also. I can see a lesson in all of this that happened with this kind man.... It is about asking for help, trusting and putting your faith in someone as well as our Lord. Sometimes other people can do things much better than we can. We can take life lessons from others. Some people will willingly and loving share their knowledge with you and bless you with their knowledge. There are still good people out there who will help you without asking anything in return. There are angels among us. I was so thankful for this one.

I got something to drink then took my art to be turned in. I entitled my art "A Rainy Day in Georgia". Then I got to preview some of what other artists submitted. I was wowed by some. Others, I said I could do that or better. New artists inspired me. I recognized some artist's works immediately. There wasn't a lot of photography which was my medium this show so maybe the odds will be in my favor. Mine probably should have been bigger than it is compared to some others in a golden frame. I know I shouldn't compare. I really liked mine leaning there against the floor. My friend Anne was right, it does look like a watercolor. I hung around and got funny looks from other artists not that I really cared. So please a prayer that mine will win something. Thanks.

While there, I saw a high school classmate, Diane. Her mom is an artist. From the back her mom reminded me of my Aunt Pearl. Diane asked to see my artwork. She said she liked it. I told her about my framing experience. She says her mom uses someone who is expensive. I told Diane to use the man I went to.

This weekend will be like Christmas in July for me. Both my best friends will be here as well as my oldest step-son, wife Kristina and their kids. Kristina can set up with me at Market Days and sell her hair bows for free! Lucky her. Afterwards we can go to the artist and owner of the Bulloch house so Kristina can tour her home. Everything is falling into place for Kristina. The rest is sort of up in the air. I realized we live our life sort of playing things by ear. Sunday is the art show. I didn't get pre-made or make invitations of my own. I relied on emails except for a few phone calls I made. I invited our entire church!

My oldest step-daughter has an awesome message on her cell phone. She asks if you have thanked God for your blessings. Then asks what you are thankful for. I told her I am thankful for her!

Then later I had someone calls me who has to have a schedule of events so they will know exactly what they are doing and when. It was then I realized we are not like that. When family and friends come, we just get together and do stuff if possible. Of course I am as always trying to please everyone and being pulled in 4 different directions but I love it. It only happens once a year which makes it feel like Christmas.

Kristina has a nephew named Brandon who has lung problems. He went to the wedding with us in Indy. He came down with them from up there. I was informed last night he is on a transplant list but there are none available for him so they are giving him a year to live. He may only be a year older than Rhett. Please keep Brandon in your prayers for a transplant. This has been weighing heavy on my heart. It made me thankful I have such a healthy son.

On the way to work this morning, I was behind a red Vue but the tags said "BLU". LOL

Today I did a good deed... perhaps one of the best I have ever done, I found someone's wallet underneath my car. It looked like it had been tossed underneath it. I took it inside the store. Two women told I should just mail it to him since he was not listed in the phone book. I called his debit card company so they could call him so he could come pick it up. After having my wallet stolen, I know what it is like to have to replace everything!

And sometimes when you stop looking for something, you find it in the least likely places.

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http://spirituallyunequalmarriage.com/